Page 36 of Picture Perfect Love

Abby

The whole way home, I pictured flying into my apartment in a rage—throwing and breaking things, shredding pillows. Whatever ridiculous thing it took to get out all the anger and heartache surging through me. But once I was finally in the door, all I could manage to do was collapse onto my couch. It’s Joshua’s apartment that deserves to be ransacked anyway, I thought. And even then it was an unfair fight. He could easily afford to have everything replaced without a second thought. It was the same privilege he kept trying to extend to me that I kept refusing. But then...this was exactly why I did.

An hour later I managed to get up just long enough to change into my favorite sweats and flip on a rom com, which was a masochistic move. Especially without ice cream, which I was apparently out of. But I was too lethargic to really watch the movie anyway, so it didn’t matter.

At some unknown time after sundown, a knock came to the door.

“Who is it?” I grumbled, not nearly loud enough for whoever was on the other side of the door to hear.

The handle started to jiggle, followed by the sound of a key sliding into the lock. I shot up with wide eyes, clutching a pillow to my chest. On top of everything, was I now being robbed!?

I picked up the remote, as if it could serve as some kind of weapon against the intruder. An instant sigh of relief escaped me when Valerie walked through the door.

“Hey sweetie,” she waved lightly, like she was talking to a child. “Hope you don’t mind me barging in to check on you. I still had your key from the last time you had me watch over your apartment.”

“Oh, right,” I exhaled, slinking back down to a horizontal position. “No, it’s fine. Come on in. Not that I’m much good for company right now.”

She held up the bag in her hands with an encouraging smile. “I brought a care package!”

After sitting on the sliver of couch left next to me, she began spreading everything out on the coffee table. “Ice cream, because I knew you’d be out. Nuts and caramel, cause I know you like to add extra. A bottle of vodka for tonight, and a gallon of water for in the morning. Plus aspirin, tissues, and a box of treats from your favorite bakery.”

“Vodka,” I barked, holding out my hand.

I sat up and took a big chug straight from the bottle. “See! Who needs a boyfriend?” I said, wiping my mouth. “With girlfriends like you, men are useless and pointless.”

“Well, there’s at least one thing I’m not going to take care of for you, honey. I love you, but sorry. I have my limits.”

“I think they make machines for that sort of thing anyway,” I replied, tipping the bottle in the air towards her.

She laughed and settled onto the cushion next to me, rubbing my back while I attempted to drink down my sorrows. “And I come bearing one more gift… Or good news, actually. You still have your job. I told our boss you were having female troubles and it flustered him enough to make him cave into giving you a few days. Just come back to work by the weekend, and you’ll be in the clear.”

“Thanks, Val. I seem to be having trouble caring about my job right this moment, but once I snap out of this… I know I will.”

“Mmm-hmm,” she grunted. “When those bills come due. Now give me a sip of that bottle.”

I handed it over and let her have a go. “That’s the funny thing. The whole time I knew Joshua he kept trying to convince me to play hooky from work or quit my job, and I refused. And yet today I walked right out of there without a second thought, and right now I honestly feel like I couldn’t care less if I ever went back or not. It’s like I just had to give him a hard time, no matter what.”

“A man like that needs someone to give him a hard time,” she proposed. “That’s why you were so good for him. And why he liked you so much.”

“He didn’t like me enough apparently,” I griped, snatching the bottle back from her.

“Have you talked to the bum?” she asked gently.

“I’ve yelled at the bum. And… slapped him.”

We were both dead serious for a moment, but then burst into laughter, feeling the warm, soothing comfort of the vodka setting in.

“Girl, you did not,” she snickered.

“Right across the face. I’ve never slapped a man in my life. Always wanted to, though. I guess I can be thankful to him for that at least. He made one of my dreams come true.”

She took another swig, shaking her head. “I can’t believe he slept with Cassie. That tramp. And you know I’m not normally one for down-talking other women, but… that girl and the way she was acting. What else am I supposed to call her?”

“A free-loading tramp maybe?” I suggested. “But… I really don’t think he slept with her. He doesn’t think he did anyways.”

She perked up. “Really? Well, hell girl… Whaddya slap the man for then? The way I see it, he fended off another suitor to keep you all to himself. And what those pictures showed him doing with Cassie in the club… We can’t honestly say we haven’t danced all up on strange men like that when we were out after a few drinks. None of it’s really all so bad, is it?”

“It’s not the point,” I insisted, narrowing in on my thoughts about what the point actually was. I knew there was one. A big one. “It’s the big picture. The spoiled rich man-baby sweeping in to try to get me to shirk all responsibility and run away with him.”

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